Asutosh Shah, Managing Director, Duravit India Private Limited, talks about the brand Duravit in detail with Realty Plus
What are the latest products offered by your brand?
Duravit developed its novelties 2015 inspired by the need for comfort and the strong trend towards more individuality.
Individuality
With ME by Starck, Philippe Starck has succeeded in creating a collection that fulfils the demand for pure aesthetics and is at home in a wide variety of style worlds. The French designer accepted the challenge to lend a sensuous essence to elementary items while focussing on the individual and their sense of style.
A stone that has been worn down by water has a smooth, even surface without rough edges. Its robustness and pleasantly polished surface make it both hard, yet soft to the touch. With the Stonetto shower tray, EOOS has brought these properties to the bathroom. This is the first time that the cast mineral material DuraSolid Q, has been used for sanitary applications: both the matt appearance and dense surface are impressive features.
Philippe Starck has eliminated the barriers between nature and the indoors, as the Cape Cod bathroom range makes nature a permanent part of the bathroom. It is a place for rejuvenation and refreshment with aesthetically appealing materials and forms, and an innovative ceramic formula that allows for especially thin and delicate wash bowls. The washbasins offer a timelessly modern design, making clever use of the contrast between the floor-standing frame in cool, smooth chrome and the exclusive wood finishes.
Comfort
The P3 Comforts complete bathroom range by Phoenix Design blends naturally into our living environment. Simple geometric forms have been modified to render them aesthetically calming. A highlight is the dry area, which is raised above the wet area and serves as a generous shelf surface.
SensoWash Slim is a minimalist addition to the shower-toilet range, with a particularly intelligent use of technology. Thanks to its balanced proportions and the especially flat shower-toilet seat, SensoWash Slim looks like a classic toilet, and therefore satisfies the desire for sleek aesthetics and timeless modernity.
Further news
The L-Cube bathroom furniture program by Christian Werner offers the ideal stage for the bathroom as a design collage. The style, function, ‘feel’ and colour scheme can be chosen to suit personal preferences, allowing you to create an unlimited number of washing area designs and customized storage solutions.
Paiova 5 is a symbiosis of a corner bathtub and a free-standing bathtub that surmounts structural restrictions. Designed by EOOS for Duravit, the bathtub focuses solely on individual comfort. There are two different backrest slopes, producing both an ergonomic sitting position and a particularly laid-back reclining position.
With OpenSpace B, the EOOS design group has added a lower-priced version in multiple formats to its range of innovative OpenSpace shower enclosures. Simply folded back against the wall after use, they provide extra space and freedom of movement in the bathroom. Well thought-out accessories such as the handle, shelf and seat provide additional practical features for the shower area that perfectly complement the stylish shower enclosure.
What are the market trends for 2016?
The contemporary bathroom has to meet sustainable design, green production and ecological usability. In its overall balance it is economical but nevertheless joyful and relaxing. In conclusion, it is not about trends, it is about general criteria that are valid for all bathrooms – whether the small powder room or the private spa.
What is the USP of your company?
The company philosophy is about “living bathrooms”, and this is reflected in the collaboration with eminent designers, such as Philippe Starck, EOOS, Phoenix Design, Sieger Design, Sergei Tchoban and Matteo Thun. This results in innovative new products with which Duravit continues to set new standards – for different budgets and lifestyles. The company not only regards itself as a think-tank for beautiful design products but it also focuses on the overall design of spa bathrooms that enhance quality of life.
What is the target audience for your products?
The Indian sanitary ware industry is growing rapidly. An important growth factor of the industry is the also steadily growing customer base. However, it is not only the population that is increasing, but also the standard of education and overall prosperity and thus purchasing power. In India, housing and institutional sectors are the major growth drivers. Housing demand is rising rapidly and, with increasing purchasing power, people have started taking an interest in premium sanitary ware products. Demand comes from new projects as well as from the replacement market, and this trend is likely to continue for at least the next 5 to 10 years.
What are your future plans?
In order to answer this question, I would like to point out that looking at the current market growth, India is developing as major bathroom and sanitary ware market in the Asian-Pacific region. In India, housing and institutional sectors are the major growth drivers. The demand results from new projects as well as from the replacement market. This trend is likely to continue for the next 5 to 10 years. In the end, for Duravit, the whole Indian market is a sales market offering a sustainable growth based on real demand. That is why we keep our focus on it and will extend our activities in this region